Unloading means for bottle cleaning machines



Aug. 23, 1932. G. J. MEYER UNLOADING MEANS FOR BOTTLE CLEANING MACHINES Filed April 24, 1929 6 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 23, 1932. MEYER I 1,873,846

UNLOADING MEANS FOR BOTTLE CLEANING MACHINES Filed April 24, l929 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 l INVEN TOR WITNESSES Aug. 23, 1932. J, MEYER UNLOADING MEANS FOR BOTTLE CLEANING'MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April' 24, 1929 //V|/ENTOR ATTORNEY I Aug. 23, 1932. G. J. MEYER UNLOADING MEANS FOR BOTTLE CLEANING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 24, 1929 WITNESSES W W/ACL Aug. 23, 1932. J MEYER 1,873,846

UNLOADING MEANS FOR BOTTLE CLEANING MACHINES Filed April 24, 1929 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 WITNESSES INVEN TOR Aug. 23,1932.

G. J. MEYER UNLOADING MEANS FOR BOTTLE CLEANING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed April 24, 1929 IN VE N TOR v aw A T TOFNE'Y WI TNEISSES Patented Aug. 23, 1932 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE J. MEYER, OI MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO GEO-ll. MEYER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF CUDAHY, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION Oil WISCONSIN )UNLOADING MEANS FOR BOTTLE CLEANING MACHINES Application fled April 24, 1929. Serial No. 857,722.

The invention relates to unloading means for bottle cleaning machines and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide bottle unloading means by which bottles can be rapidly and safely discharged from the conveyor of a bottle cleaning machine and conducted away from the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide chutes or troughs along which bottles are discharged from the bottle conveyor, the lower portions of the chutes being registrable with. a tiltable bottle-supporting member or lower chute carrier serving to transfer the bottles to an outgoing conveyor, and stop means being provided for limiting the downward movement of the bottles along the upper portions of the chutes when the bottle-supporting member is out of registry wlth the upper chutes.

A further object is to provide the tlltably mounted bottle-supporting member with stop means co-operating with the chutes, these sto the tiltal ily mounted member is swinging downwardly into registry with the chutes, the bottles will move gradually downward along the chutes.

A further ob 'ect of the invention is to provide simple but effective means for mounting the chute members and bottle supporting member.

A further object is to provide cushioning stop means for limiting the downward travel of the bottles along the chutes and bottlesupporting member and for preventing breakage or chipping of the bottles.

Afurther object is to provide bottle un-- loading mechanism of simple but effective construction for moving the bottles from the tiltably mounted member onto an outgoing bottle conveyor.

A further object is to provide simple but effective means for preventing injury to the bottles or to the mechanism in the event that bottles fail to become fully discharged from the conveyor in the bottle cleaning machine.

A further object is to provide simple but effective means whereby particles of glass or liquid drippings will be prevented from entering the cleaned bottles discharged from means being so arranged that as the machine, without interfering with the proper operation of the machine.

A further object is to provide yieldingly mounted guard means for the bottles approaching the discharging position.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawin Fig. 1 is a fragmentary s1de elevation of a ottle cleaning machine incorporating unloading means embodying the invention- Fig. 2 is a similar view but showing the other side of the machine and in another operative position;

s Fig. 3 is a sectional detail elevation taken along one of the bottle-receiving chutes;

Fig. 4 isanother detail sectional elevation, parts being broken away and the pivotally mounted bottle-receiving member or lower chute carrier being shown in upright position;

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional elevation taken along the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail sectional plan view of the portions of the unloading mechanism seen in Fig. 5, parts being broken awa Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail view of the linkage for operating the drip or glass catcher, and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken along the line 88 of Fig. 2.

In these drawings, the numerals 100 and 101 designate spaced upright frame members which rest on horizontal channel members 102 and form therewith part of the frame structure of a bottle cleaning machine. A

shaft 103, which extends transversely between the frames 100 and 101, is adjustably journalled in these frames and carries a pair of spaced wheels 104 disposed adjacent the respective frames 100 and 101. The wheels 104 support thereon the chain rollers 105 of a.bottle conveyor 106 which includes transversely extending rows of bottle-receiving holders or pockets 107 adapted to receive bottles 108. v v

The bottle conveyor 106 is given an intermittent travel in any well known manner in the directionindicated by arrows. The conveyor moves downwardly from the wheels 104 in an inclined flight in which the chain rollers are supported on ledges 109 projecting from the inner faces of the frames and 101. In this flight of the conveyor the bottles 108 are discharged by gravity, as hereinafter more fully described, and with their own open necks'uppermost.

A second pair of spaced frames 110 and 111 rest on the channel members 102 and are secured at their upper ends to projections on the frames 100 and 101, as by means of pins 112. The frames 110 and 111 are connected at their forward portions by spaced horizontal transversely-extending angle bars 113 which form a track for the horlzontal upper flight of a suitably driven flat top conveyor chain 114 leading to a filling machine (not shown). Brackets 115 are secured to the forward angle bar 113 and support thereon a table 116 provided with a marginal upstanding wall 117. The table 116 extends along the upper flight of the conveyor and forms a rest on whlch damaged or uncleanable bottles can be placed by the operator after being removed from the conveyor chain A rock shaft 118 extends transversely between the frames 110 and 111 and is journalled in these frames. Spaced arms 119 are fixedly secured to the rock shaft 118 and carry at their upper free ends a transversely ex tending angle bar 120. The arm 119 near the end frame 111 is provided with a depending portion 121 secured at its lower end to one end of a bar 122, which is disposed outside of the frame 111, the other end of the bar being carried on the shaft 118. As seen in Fig. 2, the bar 122 is connected to the lower end of a link 123, the upper end of which is pivotally connected to a lever 124 of an automatic stop device 125, the purpose of this connection being hereinafter described.

The ends of the angle bar are urged upwardly against stop lugs 126 carried on the frames 110 and 111, and this is accomplished in the present instance by means of a pair of spring-pressed rods 127 pivotally connected to the angle bar 120 at their upper ends and slidably mounted in guide brackets 128 at their lower ends. The angle bar 120 has secured thereto a plurality of spaced chute members 129 forming between them chute passages which are disposed in alignment with one row of bottle holders on the bottle conveyor 106 during the pauses in the travel of the conveyor, in order to receive bottles discharged by gravity from the conveyor. The chute members 129 carry partitions 130 which serve as bottle guides and separators.

A horizontal rock shaft 131 extends transversely between the frames 110 and 111 and is journalled in these frames at points spaced below the up er flight of the bottle conveyor chain 114 an to the rear thereof. The portions of the rock shaft 131 extehding beyond the frames 110 and 111 have loosely mounted thereon arms 132 which are connected by angle bars 133 and 134. The angle bar 134 has secured thereon spaced trough or chute members 135, which are disposed in alignment with the superposed chute members 129 when the former have been swung'rearwardly to the position seen in Fig. 3.

The chute members 135 are provided with partitions 136, which serve as bottle guides and separators and are adapted to align with the similar partitions 130 carried on the chute members 129. The angle bar 134 also carries thereon a pluralityof spaced arcuate rearwardly projectin bars137, which are adapted to pass through the spaces formed between the chute members 129 and to serve as bottlestops, as indicated in Fig. 4. The bars 137 are so disposed that the bottle stop abutments formed thereby will move downwardly along The transversely-extending angle bar 133' carries thereon a plurality of shallow cupshaped casings 138 which receive therein resilient rubber pads 139 to form stops cushioning the inclined fall of the bottle along the chute members to the position seen in Fig. 3. A flange 140 is formed along the forward edge of each cup-shaped member 138 and is adapted to rest on the rear angle track 113 in the position of the device seen in Fig. 4, in order to permit the bottles resting on the pads 139 to be displaced onto the conveyor chain 114, as hereinafter described.

The inclined swingingchute carrier having the chute members 135 is normally urged to the upright position seen in Fig. 4 by means of spring-pressed rods 141 which are pivotally connected at their forward ends to the swinging arms 132 and are slidably supported at their rearward ends in brackets 142 secured to the frames 100 and 101. Short levers 143 and 144 are fixed to the opposite ends of the rock shaft 131 and are each provided with laterally extending lugs 145, as seen in Figs. 5 and 6, which are adapted to engage co-operating lugs 146 carried on the swinging arms 132. The swinging arms'132, which are loosely mounted on the rock shaft 131, are each provided with forwardly and downwardly extending arms 147, which carry between them a horizontally-extending rod or tube 148. The arms 147 and the rod or tube 148 form counterweights which, together with the spring-pressed rods 141, serve 'to urge the lower chute carrier to the poand 111, thereby determining the u ight por sition of the chute carrier seen in T ig. 4, 1n which the bottles are in readiness to be urged onto the conveyor chain 114.

The lever 143 at one end of the rock shaft 131 is connected by a link 151 with one end of a periodically operating bell-crank 152 pivotally mounted on a stud 153 carried on the frame member. 100. The bell-crank 152 is periodically rocked by a connecting rod 154 which isreciprocated in any suitable manner. The link 151 includes a slip joint 155 to prevent damage to the mechanism in the event of jamming. The linkage just described serve to periodically operate the rock shaft 131 to thereby swing the pivotally-mounted lower chute carrier to the chute-forming position seen in Fig. 3, the elevation of this chute carrier to the position shown in Fig. 4 being effected by the spring means and counterweight means acting thereon.

A plurality of spaced arms 156 are fixedly secured to the rock shaft 131 and carry at their upper ends a transversely-extending rod 157 which forms a bottle pusher engageable with the lower ortions of the side walls of the bottles aftert e bottles reachtheir up right position laterally adjacent the conveyor chain 114. A further rotation of the rock shaft 131 clockwise with respect to the position seen in Fig. 4 effects the engagement of the pusher bar 157 with the bottles 108 to dis- I place the bottles laterally onto the conveyor chain 114 to the position seen in- Fig. 2.

In order to prevent the bottles in the bottle conveyor 106 from discharging before they reach their proper position adjacent the upper bottle chutes, a swinging bottle guard frame 158 is provided which includes a plurality of spaced parallel arcuate guard bars 159 engageable edgewise with the bottles. The upper portions of the guard bars are secured to a transversely-extending angle bar 160, while the lower portions are connected by a transversely-extending bar 161. A pair of brackets 162 are fixedly secured to the outer edges of the respective frames 100 and 101 near the horizontal plane of the shaft 103, the attachment of the brackets to the frames being effected by studs 163 which are carried on these frames and pass through the brackets, there being clamping nuts 164 threaded on the studs 163 and engaging the brackets. The brackets 162 are provided with pivot pins or trunnions 165 which are carried in bearing members 166 secured to the angle bar 160, thereby permitting the swinging movement of the bottle guard frame 158. An outstanding arm 167 is secured to the angle bar 160 and carries thereon a counterweight 168,

which serves to urge the lower portions of the bottle guard frame inwardly towards the bottles in'the carriers of the bottle conveyor. In this manner, the frame may yield outwardly when oversized bottles are carried in the botment of the swinging bottle guard frame is limited by a bar 169 extending transversely of the lower portions of the guard bars and fixedly secured to thebrackets 162. The bar 161, secured to the guard bars 159, carries one or more uide studs 170 which pass through the stop bar 169 and are provided with nuts 171 limiting the inward movement of the guard frame.

Since the bottles are discharged from the machine with their necks uppermost, there is a danger that wide mouthed bottles, such as milk bottles, will accidentally receive therein drops of soiled water and possibly small chips of glass. In order to prevent this occurrence, a tray-like shield 172 is provided which includes arcuate forward portions adapted to enter the space between the momentar1ly-sta-,

tionary rows of bottle-holding pockets at a point immediately above the discharging bottles to intercept any foreign matter which might otherwise enter the bottles. The shield 172 includes opposite end walls 173, the end wall at one side of the machine being suspended on crossed links 174 and 175, and the opposite end wall being suspended on links 174 and 17 6, Thelower ends of the links 174 are pivotally secured to the forward portions of the shield and the upper portions of these links are pivotally mounted on the brackets 162. The lower ends of the links 175 and 176 are pivotally mounted at the outer portions of the shield and the upper portion of.

the link 176 and an intermediate portion of the lever 175 are pivotally mounted on axially-aligned pins 1 7 carried on inwardly projecting parts 178 of the brackets 162, these parts of the brackets being arranged at the outer faces of the frames 100 and 101. The link or lever continues upwardly beyond its pivotal mounting on the bracket 162' and is provided with a cam portion 179 which co-operates with a cam member 180 carried on the bell-crank 152, as best seen in Fig. 7, in such manner as to effect the momentary withdrawal of the shield 172 from between the bottle pockets at a time in the cycle of operation when the bottle conveyor 106 is moving. The shield is provided at an end wall with a drain opening 181 to drain off any liquid that might otherwise accumulate on the shield.

In operation, the bottle conveyor 106 is moved intermittently, step by step, in any Well known manner. The bottles in the holders or pockets moving downwardly from the horizontal plane of the shaft 103, after having been cleaned in their passage through the machine, tend to leave the carriers by gravity, but are prevented from doing so by the yielding guard frame 158, which is capable of being urged. outwardly by the bottles to holders or pockets move downwardly from the bottle guard member 158 in an inclined flight and momentarily stop in register with the chutes formed between the upper chute members 129. At this point the bottles leave the holders or pockets by gravity and descend ashortdistanceonto the chute members 129 where they are stopped in their travel by the arcuate stop members 137 (carried by the swinging chute-carrier, 'as'seen in Fig. 4. The bottles remain in the partially discharged position seen in Fig. 4 until the return of t 1e 'pivotally mounted chute carrier to the position seen 1n Fig. 3, whereupon the bottles descend along the chutes then formed to engage the yielding stop-pads 139. In the swinging movement of the lower chute frame to the position seen in Fig. 3, the arcuate stop members permit the bottles to gradually descend from the position seen in Fig. 4, so that when the lower chute carrier finally reaches its lower position, the bottles descend along the chutes a short distance to the stop pads 139. a

The rotation of the rock shaft 131 to swing the lower chute carrier to its chute-forming position is effected by the periodically-operat mg bell-crank 152, which has the link connection 151 with the lever 143 carried on this rock shaft. During the initial downward movement of the bell-crank 152, the cam member 180 thereof rides along the cam portion 179 of the lever 175 in such manner as to permit the shield 172 to enter the space between the adjacent momentarily-stationary bottle holders, so that during the descent of the bottles along the chutes the bottles will be protected from the entrance of any foreign matter. After the discharged bottles reach the position seen in Fig. 3, the bell-crank 152 is swung in an upward direction which permits the counterweight arms 147 and springpressed rods 141 to swing. the arms 132 of the lower chute carrier to the position seen in Fig. 4, in which the bottles are in readiness to be urged onto the conveyor chain 114. The further upward movement of the bellcrank 152 efiects the further clockwise rotation of the rock shaft 131 from its Fig. 4 position and the pusher bar 157 then engages the upright bottles 108 and displaces them laterally onto the conveyor chain 114, as indicated in Fig. 2. During the upward movement of the bell-crank 152 toward its upper position,

the cam member 180 on the bell-crank engages the cam portion 179 of the link or lever 175 to effect the withdrawal of the shield 172 from between the bottle holders, as seen in Fig. 4, thereby permitting the bottle conveyor to advance one step in its travel. However, as soon as the travel of the conveyor is completed, the shield 172 is quickly returned to its bottle-shielding position.

From the time the bottles leave the holders of the bottle conveyor until they are finally discharged onto the conveyor chain 114, they are in view of the operator for a considerable portion of the cycle of operation of the machine, so that the operator will have ample time to inspect the bottles and to remove any damaged or uncleaned bottles onto the table stop device 125, thereby stopping the operation of the machine.

Since the lower chute frame is not positively moved to its upright position but only under the influence of the counterweight arms 147 and spring-pressed rods 141, there will be no danger of injury to the bottles or to the mechanism in the event that the jam occurs on the lift movement of the bottles.

While the unloading means ofthe invention is more particularly adapted for the handling of bottles, it will be obvious that it is also adapted for the unloading of other containers such as cans, jars, and the like. The unloading means can be applied to various types of container-handling machines, such as washers, soakers and sterilizers.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Unloading means for bottle cleaning machines and the' like, comprising, in combination, chute means adapted to receive bottles from a bottle conveyor, a swingablymounted bottle-carrying member receiving bottles in inclined position from said chute means and movable upwardly to place said bottles in upright position, means for operating said swingably-mounted bottle-carrying member, a bottle support disposed adjacent said bottle-carrying member to receive bottles therefrom when said member is in its upper position, means for transferring the upright bottles from said bottle-carrying member to said support, and variable-position stop means movable with said bottle-carrying member and limiting the downward movement of the bottles along said chute means at a time when said bottle-carrying member is out of register with said chute means, the effective portions of said stop means being movable downwardly along said chute means during the return of said bottle-carrying member into register with said chute means, whereby to permit the gradual descent of the bottles onto said bottle-carrying member.

member and forming variable-position stopslimiting the downward movement of the bottles along said chute means at a time when said bottle-carrying member is out of register with said chute means, the effective portions of said arcuate' stop members being movable downwardly along said chute means during the return of said bottle-carrying member into register with said chute means, whereby to permit the gradual descent of the bottles onto said bottle-carrying member.

3. Unloading means for bottle cleaning machines and the like, comprising, in combination, chute means adapted to receive bottles from a bottle conveyor, a rock shaft, a swingably-mounted bottle-carrying member loosely carried on said rock shaft and adapted to receive bottles in inclined position from said chute means, said member being movable upwardly to place said bottles in upright position, means for operating said rockshaft, means carried on said rock shaft for normally moving said bottle-carrying member to inclined bottle-receiving position, yielding means effecting the movement of said bottlereceiving member to its upright position stop means limiting the movement of sai bottle-receiving member to its u ri ht position, and pusher means movab e ysaid rock shaft for transferring the upright bottles from said bottle-carrying member to said support.

4. Unloading means for bottle cleaning machines and the like, comprising, in combination, chute means adapted to receive bot-' tles from a bottle conveyor, a rock shaft, a swin ably-mounted bottle-carrying member. loose y carried on said rock shaft and adapted to receive bottles in inclined position from said chute means, said member being movable upwardly to place said bottles in upright position, means for operating said rock shaft,

means carried on said rock shaft for normally moving said bottle-carrying member to inclined bottle receiving position, yielding means effecting the movement of said bottlereceiving member to its upright position, stop means limiting the movement of said bottlereceiving member to its upright position,

arms fixedly carried on said rock shaft, and a pusher bar carried on said arms for transerrmg the upright bottles from said bottlecarrying member to said support.

5. In a bottle cleaning machine or the like having a traveling bottle conveyor, a tiltablymounted chute carrier adapted to receive bottles from said bottle conveyor, means for yieldingly urging said chute carrier upwardly to its normal bottle-receiving osition and ermitting said chute carrier to e depressed y a bottle partially discharged from said conveyor, automatic stop means for the bottle cleaning machine, and a link connection between said yielding chute carrier and said automatic stop to effect stopping of the machine upon the depression of sald'chute carrier by a jammed bottle.

6. In a bottle cleaning machine or the like having an intermittently travelin bottle conveyor including a bottle holders rom which bottles are discharged with their necks upper- 'most, the combination of a shield movablydisposed above the discharging bottles to prevent the entrance of foreign matter into the bottles from above, and means for moving said shield into and out of the path of said holders to secure an effective shielding action during the stationary discharging position of the holders without interfering with the subsequent movement of the holders.

7. In a bottle cleaning machine or the like having an intermittently traveling bottle conveyor including bottle holders from which bottles are discharged with their necks uppermost, the combination of a movably mounted shield disposed above the discharging bottles to prevent the entrance of foreign matter into said bottles from above, and means for supporting said shield to lie closely adjacent the discharge portions of the discharging holders and for moving said shield into and out of the path of the holders.

8. In a bottle cleaning machine or the like having an intermittently traveling bottle conveyor including bottle holders from which bottles are discharged with their necks uppermost, the combination of a shield movably disposed above the discharging bottles to prevent the entrance of foreign matter into said bottles from above, links on which said shield is pivotally mounted, and means for moving said shield into and out of the path of said holders to secure an effective shielding action during the stationary discharging position of the holders Without interfering with the subsequent movement of the holders.

9. In a bottle cleaning machine or the like having an intermittently traveling bottle conveyor including bottle holders from which bottles are discharged with their necks uppermost, the combination of a shield movably disposed above the discharging bottles to prevent the entrance'of foreign matter into said bottles from above, and cam means for movin said shield into and out'of the path of sai holders to secure an efiective shielding action durin the stationary discharging position of the olders without interfering with the subse uent movement of the holders.

10. In a bott e cleaning machine or the like having an intermittently travelin bottle conveyor includin bottle carriers om which bottles are disc arged with their necks uppermost the combination of chute means receiving the bottles discharged from said conveyor, means including an oscillatory lever for movi the dischar bottles to upri ht gosition, a s ield movab y disposed above 51a scharging bottles to revent the entrance of foreign matter into said bottles from above, and cam means co-operatin with said oscillatory lever for movin said siield into and out of the path of said carriers to secure an efiective' shielding action during the stationary discharging position of the carriers without interfering with the subsequent movement of the carriers. 7

In testimony whereof, I afix m si ature.

' GEORGE J. R. 

